• 2006
    Moving in!

    In early 2006 a handful of fförsties – the first generation – got the keys to some appartments of the house. They started as a German-Polish project supporting cultural exchange among students and trying to prevent the deconstruction of appartment buildings in a shrinking and deprived city. The fförsties even made a movie about what it was like back then: Have a look, if you want to!

  • 2011
    5th birthday!

    fforst has become a vivid place for students to live in and has spread out. People from more than 10 different nations are living here. fforst has established itself as a place for cultural events and has received regional and national acknowledgment. The maintenance of the house and how to keep it running in the future has become a central aspect of the thoughts in fforst.

  • 2016
    fforst is #unplattbar!

    Wow, already a decade – and it's true – many things have changed! The fförsties obtained most of the flats within the house. Generations of fförsties have lived here – over 150 fförsties coming from more than 30 different nations over the last 15 years. Frankfurt Oder has turned into an international and dynamic city.

  • 2022
    Who we are today

    The energy and atmosphere in our house and our community is and always has been driven by who is living with us. A permanent change and transition comes with the project. So, if you find it exciting to live in an international atmosphere and you are interested in getting things done together with others - don't hesitate and apply for a room in fforst!

  • Become
    part of the
    fforst story!

You are intersted in becoming a fförstie? You wanna rent our EventEtage? You would like to be a support-member of fforst and enjoy the benefits of a lower pricing on beverages at our bar? Or you just wanna support the idea of the project and would be open to donate some money? Well, that's all great! Please contact our board members via Email and send your request to verbuendungshausfforst (at) gmail.com. We will get in touch with you. Anyway, if you don't know us yet, maybe just pass by on one of our events. You can find fforst online and befriend us on Facebook or Instagram to be up to date with what cultural events and parties we are hosting. We are located right at the city center of Frankfurt Oder just between the European University Viadrina and the city bridge.

Well, it's our house – Living together

Our house is located at Forststraße 3 and 4 – three minutes away from the Viadrina Campus and city center – we are 35 fförsties living in shared flat appartments. Among us are students from all EUV academic devisions as well as young professionals who work in fields such as journalism, medicine or construction work. Every fförstie has his own room within a shared appartment with a common kitchen and bathroom area in each flat ! Once a week, on Monday, we meet for our assembly on EventEtage – a 200 sqm space located on the ground floor of our house – where we have a bar, a library, our office, a foosball table, a large kitchen, a stage and an exhibition area for cultural events, parties or workshop meetings.

Ok, got it!

A team of 36 people – Talking about the fforst spirit

fforst is about doing things together: living, working, celebrating. That doesn't mean we hang out all the time though, don't be scared! We are not a hippie sect or strange cult – not at all! We are 36 very different people trying to fill the house project with life while we are spending our time in Frankfurt an der Oder. Some fförsties surely become friends and in general we try to create a pleasant atmosphere and keep a nice and friendly tone. So, if you want to become a fförstie, you should be open to meet new people and develop common ground and goals with others. We meet regularly on our weekly assembly, we have workshop weekends twice a year and work together in bar and cleaning shifts. We don`t just meet for work though, but cook together, watch movies on the EventEtage – our sprace on the ground floor or have a drink at the bar there. Of course – everyone`s personal space and freedom is respected!

Well, nice!

Come together – Fförsties from more than 30 nations

Back in 2006 when verbuendungshaus fforst first moved into the house one of the initial aims was to connect Polish and German students who lived more or less separated in either Frankfurt or Słubice. To connect people and ideas and offer them a place to get in contact was and still is a crucial part of our association`s intents. It´s about curiosity and the wish to explore and discover different approaches, practices, experiences and people from other places and varying backgrounds made that eventually could broaden one`s perception. It could be just about anything: music, literature, fashion, jokes, culinary dishes and much much more. It's in the interest of fforst and the fförsties to always keep an appetite for new discoveries.

Cool, cool!

Ch-ch-ch-changes – Let's do things diffrently

Finding unconventional solutions to problems, dealing with challenges in a creative manner, improving by improvising is what fforst strives for. It´s the conviction to be able to change perceptions and behaviours by thinking about them freshly and impartial. Is there a way of living differently and better – not by following any ideological programm – but by simply finding a practice of living that a community can agree on.

Right, let`s go on!

Hands on – Let`s get things done!

Without sounding too repulsive we admit that with life in fforst working in fforst comes along. Surely not like an employee in a regular job! It´s more about attending our weekly assemblies and being part of one of the departments – we call them ressorts – that deal with specific tasks that are important for our house like taking care of our PR, have an eye on the technical facilities, deal with funding possibilities for our project and how to develop it strategically. We decide to expect around 5 hours per week that each fförstie puts into work for the house – may it be for the ressort, taking a bar shift selling drinks during an event at our event floor or any other actions related to the interests of the house. In return fforst offers comparatively low rents for its rooms.

Right on!

From time to time we also drink and dance

Our project is renowned – our neighbours will approve it – for throwing parties: listening to music, having a drink or two, singing and dancing. Especially infamous are the Latino and the Halloween party we have once a year with usually around 300 guests in our little house. We are not just about wild parting though. fforst offers a variety of cultural evenings such as live music, either classical or modern, stand-up-comedy or open mic evenings, public viewings of championships of all sorts, foosball tournaments and pub quizzes, karaoke nights and dart championships and so on. All of that is happening on the EventEtage – a large space located on the ground floor of our house. The place can also be rented for a decent price – including a bar, drinks, catering and service can be offered, if needed.

Hihi, I understand!